India vs Australia: Ravindra Jadeja declared fit for third Test in Melbourne

India have been handed a major boost ahead of the blockbuster Boxing Day Test against Australia as all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been declared fit and is available for selection, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday.

The ongoing four-match series is currently locked at 1-1 with India winning the first match in Adelaide and hosts Australia taking the second in Perth.

“All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja complained of a left shoulder discomfort after prolonged bowling spells during the 2018, West Indies ODI series. He underwent a guided injection in Mumbai for this on 2nd November,” the BCCI statement read.

“This gave Jadeja good relief of his symptoms and he played in the Ranji Trophy match for Saurashtra from 12 to 15 November in which he completed 64 overs without any issues. He was thereby declared fit by the BCCI and selected for the Test series against Australia.

After Jadeja flew to Australia, he then complained of a recurrence of his symptoms on 30th November during the match against the CA XI in Sydney. He was given another injection into a slightly different site on that day. This injection along with his rehabilitation program improved his symptoms.”

The BCCI also revealed that the team management was of the opinion that they couldn’t not risk Jadeja in the second Test in Perth after the all-rounder complained he wasn’t able to bowl at his full potential in the nets.

“In the lead up to the Perth Test match on 14th December, the management and the all-rounder were of the opinion that the intensity of his bowling in the nets could have been higher, to match the standards required for such an intensely fought series. For this reason, he was not considered for selection for the 2nd Test match,” the statement said.

“Jadeja’s left shoulder has continued to improve and he is now available for the 3rd Test match of the series in Melbourne.”

First Published: Dec 23, 2018 20:44 IST